1. Event: Muryar Matasa
Guest: Hussaina Umar Muhammad
Topic: Muhimmanci Wayar Da Kan Al’umma Akan Illar Cin Zarafin Mata Da Kananan Yara:
Data: Monday 16th August, 2021
Time: 12:00PM
Venue: CITAD Radio
For More details please, contact asabo@citad.org

2. Event: Continuation of DIT Program.
Venue: CITAD’s Office Jama’are, Bauchi State
Date: Monday, 16th to Wednesday 18th August, 2021.
Time: 04:00 – 06:00 pm
For More details please, contact: dahiru@citad.org

3. Event: Community Networks Peers Meeting
Date: Monday, August 16th, 2021
Time: 1pm
Venue: CITAD, Kano
For More details please, contact info@citad.org

4. Event: GBV Project Team Meeting
Date: Tuesday, August 17th, 2021
Time:2.30pm
Venue: CITAD, Kano
For More details please, contact info@citad.org

5. Event: Rigar Mutunci
Venue: Express Radio
Date: Tuesday, 17th – 08th August, 2021
Time: 11:00 – 12:00PM
Guest: Barr. Maryam Ahmad Abubakar (Human Right Defender)
Topic: Illar da ke tattare da cin zarafin mata da ƙananan yara
For More details please, contact zainab@citad.org

6. Program: The Watchdog Radio Program
Presenter: Gazzali Haruna Ibrahim
Guest: Khalifa Muhammad, Program Manager of Human Rights Peace and Security.
Topic: Youth and Corruption in Nigeria.
Date Tuesday, 17th August, 2021
Time: 11am
Venue: CITAD Online Radio.
For More details please, contact asabo@citad.org

7. Program: Zauren Kungiyoyi
Presenter: Gazzali Haruna Ibrahim
Guest: Bala Sama’ila Chairman NURTW Kano State Chapter
Topic: Bayanai akan Kungiyar National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW)
Date: Tuesday, 17th August, 2021.
Time: 2:00PM
Venue: CITAD Online Radio
For More details please, contact asabo@citad.org

8. Event: KANSiS 21 Planning Committee
Date: Wednesday, August 18, 2021
Time: 2.30pm
Venue: CITAD, Kano
For More details please, contact info@citad.org

9. Continuation of SI4A Follow-up Sub-Grantee M&E Meetings.
Venue: Online
Date: Wednesday 18th August, 2021.
Time: 11am – 2:00pm
For Inquiries, Please, Contact: john@citad.org

10. Program: Inspiring Leadership Reflection Interactive Series (ILERIS
Guest: Professor Ibrahim Bello Kano, Dep. Of English and Literary Studies, BUK
Venue: Hall B, CITAD
Date: Wednesday, 18th August, 2021
Time: 10am
For more information, please contact: info@citad.org.

11. Continuation of SI4A Follow-up Sub-Grantee M&E Meetings.
Venue: Online
Date: Thursday 19th Aug. 2021.
Time: 11am – 2:00pm
For Inquiries, Please, Contact: john@citad.org

12. Program: Journalists Training on Online Safety and Security
Date: Thursday, 19 August, 2021
Time: 10am
Venue: CITAD Office, Kano Social Media Lab
For More details please, contact asabo@citad.org

13. Event: LATO Computer Training.
School: Abdulkadir Ahmed Primary School
Venue: AAPS ICT Center Jama’are.
Date: Thursday,19th August, 2021.
Time: 10:00am – 12:00pm
For More details please, contact: dahiru@citad.org

14. Event: sensitization on Community Networks
Venue: Tungan Ashere community, FCT Abuja
Date: Friday 20th August, 2021
Time: 10:00am
For More details please, contact suhail@citad.org

15. Continuation of SI4A Follow-up Sub-Grantee M&E Meetings.
Venue: Online
Date: Friday 20th August, 2021.
Time: 2:00 – 4:30pm
For Inquiries, Please, Contact: john@citad.org

16. Pan African Social Media Summit
Date: Saturday, August 21st, 2021
Time: 9am
Venue: Regency Hotel, Abuja
For More details please, contact info@citad.org

Internet connectivity is becoming part and parcel of humans’ lives all over the globe, but the story in the undeveloped countries most especially those living in the African continent is different and not encouraging. Millions of people in Africa are finding it difficult to access this network and even in places where these networks exist most of the time it’s inefficient and costly. The emergence of covid19 pandemics has exposed how fragile humans are and their dependence on the services the internet provides to their daily lives. Reports have indicated that only less than 50% of the Nigerian population are connected or have access to the internet. Of this 50% many do not have the resources to own smartphones or computers that will give the opportunity to access these services due to the high level of poverty ravaging the majority of the country’s population. To ensure more people are being connected and have access to internet services in Nigeria, government through its communications agencies such as Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and National Information Technology Development Agencies (NITDA) have bring about many programs such as Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF) and provide free computers and internet services to some communities and academic institutions in the country.

Non-profit organizations such as Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) whose their main focus is using Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to empower citizens have initiated many programs that will liberate Nigerian people from this digital “darkness” and make the country one of the developed nations in terms of internet connectivity and other areas of human development as internet gives people ample opportunities in their academic pursuit, businesses and in the health care sector, among others.

To ensure no one is left behind in the process, CITAD in 2016 launched the Digital Livelihood program which centered on the training women on digital technology and digital entrepreneurship in northern Nigeria with focus on Abuja rural communities, Kano and Bauchi States, it later on included Jigawa State. The program has achieved tremendous success as lives of hundreds of young girls and women have been changed and transformed, many of the trained girls have now become digital entrepreneurs; graphic designing, web designers, online marketers etc. In an interview in one of the Nigerian Newspapers, one of the beneficiaries, Sadiya Danyaro stated that the training “has drastically changed her life and made her to become an employer rather than a job seeker. She also described the training as the turning point of discovering her passion and dream”.

Before the commencement of community network project by CITAD which is being supported by Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) through Association for Progressive Communication in Nigeria, CITAD has in the past set up seven (7) computer centers in two states in Nigeria to ease internet access to these underserved and neglected communities in terms of internet connectivity. The communities are Tungan Ashere, Dakwa Community, Pasepa, Gaube and Leleyi Gwari all in rural Abuja communities, Jama’are and Itas-Gadau in Bauchi State.

At the peak of Covid19 pandemic which highlighted the need and necessity of connecting everyone with affordable and efficient internet connection, the community network project was launched by APC with support of FCDO in three continents; Africa, Asia and Latin America and championed by CITAD in Nigeria. Community networks are telecommunications infrastructure deployed and operated by local groups to meet their own communication needs and also a communications infrastructure, designed and erected to be managed for use by local communities. This communication needs can be voice, data, etc. and can be a point of convergence for communities to come together to address their common community problems.

This initiative is aimed at enhancing the capacity of communities to design, deploy and manage community networks to meet their communication needs while at the same time engaging regulators and other relevant policy makers to enact policies and provide support that could enhance the flourishing of community networks in the country. Due to resource constraint CITAD piloted some sites in seven communities across three states namely Jama’are and Itas in Bauchi State, Kafanchan in Kaduna State and four sites in rural community of Federal Capital Territory, Abuja (Tungen Ashere, Dakwa Community, Pasepa and Leleyi Gwari). Some of the activities carried out by CITAD under this project are: training of the community campions in these communities on the need for setting up community network centers in these areas and on advocacy in order to engage their representatives more effectively, forming community network advisory committee which consists of individuals from Civil society Organizations, ICT sector, Government and members of the communities, high level engagements with government (NCC and NITDA), engagement with House of Representatives and championing discussions on designing policies on community network in Nigeria.

So far with persistent engagements and advocacies visits by CITAD progress on setting up community networks in Nigeria has been made. The Nigerian government through the House Committee on ICT has drafted a bill which contains provisions on community networks, Itas and Jama’are local governments, both in Bauchi States have donated a piece of land each to CITAD to build community network centers in their communities. NCC has following meetings with CITAD given indication that it will develop a policy to guide the development of community networks in the country.

Ali Sabo is the Campaigns and Communications Officer of CITAD and can be reached via his email address: aliyuncee@gmail.com or his twitter handle: @a_sabo12

Centre for Information Technology CITAD has received a land donation from the Chairman of Itas/Gadau Local Government of Bauchi state, Honorable Abdullahi Muhammad Maigari (Yayan Gida) for building to accommodate structures needed for a proposed community network facility in the community.

This is part of a project the Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) with support from the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) of the UK through the Association for Progressive Communications (APC) which aims at enhancing the capacity of communities to design, deploy and manage community networks to meet their communication needs while at the same time engaging regulators and other relevant policy makers to enact policies and provide support that could enhance the flourishing of community networks in the country.

According to the Executive Director of the Centre, Y. Z. Yaú, no doubt, he COVID 19 pandemic and the resultant lock down brought to a sharp relieve the importance of the internet as learning, business and other social interactions shifted online.

That such shift was not possible for many people who have remained excluded from the digital opportunities. In Nigeria such exclusion is large as less than 50% of the population is actually connected.

These communication needs can be voice, data, etc. and can be point of convergence for community to come together to address their common community problems.

The project, he said, has pilot sites in seven communities across three states namely Jamaare and Itas in Bauchi State, Kafanchan in Kaduna State and four sites in rural community of Federal Capacity Territory, Abuja (Tungen Ashere, Dakwa Community, Pasepa and Leleyi Gwari.)

Furthermore, CITAD calls on the the Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) to fast track its process of policy development for community networks in the country, while it also calls on the Galaxy Backbone which has declared its support and commitment to promoting community networks to demonstrate this support by reaching out to communities that are already working to roll out such in their communities.

Also that the USPF and NITAD to extend their digital inclusion programmes to community networks initiatives so that these efforts could become more sustainable.

It also charge other Political leaders in Itas-Gadau Local Government and in other communities, especially the Members, State House of Assembly and House Representative members to as a matter of their constituents’ interest support efforts to build the community networks in their communities to address the digital marginalization of their people,

Philanthropies and business individuals in the local governments are also encourage to assist in the building of the community network centers while local government chairmen in the country, especially where the intervention is taking place have been asked to emulate the good gesture of Itas-Gadau local government chairman.

And finally, that NCC lead in speeding up the flourishing of community networks in the country by providing free spectrums to rural communities where community networks are being provided.